The very lovely Megan from @natureplayspace has explored and shared some of the ways her and her boys have been playing with this wonderful open ended set.
[A little bit about Megan - Megan is a mother to 2 young boys. As an early childhood educator she is passionate about play based learning and using natural resources for open ended play. She shares lots of inspiring play set ups and activities on her Instagram page and we are so happy to collaborate with her and find out her favourite ways to play with some of our most popular toys.]
Over to Megan...
'The soft, Autumn colours of these bowls and acorns are just gorgeous. We have been playing endlessly since receiving these, and I have been amazed with how many different ways the boys have used them in play.'
Our favourite ways to play...
Colour Sorting and Fine Motor Skills
We mixed all the acorns together in a bigger bowl and I gave my youngest a set of wooden tongs to select the acorns and match them to the same coloured bowl. This is a really simply activity which incorporates so many skills and learning outcomes! It took a lot of concentration and precision with the tongs but with a little help he was able to complete the activity. It was a great opportunity to talk about the colours as well as the concept of “same and different”.
Pretend Play
This one has been a favourite! We have been playing shops, restaurants and cooking using the bowls and the acorns as the food. I added some utensils (little wooden spoons, scoops and tongs) to extend on this idea. The boys have loved creating different meals in the bowls to serve to me at their “restaurant”. These bowls and acorns would make wonderful props in a home corner/play kitchen set up.
Sensory Play
The bowls have been a feature in our sensory play lately. They are perfect to use with dry sensory materials such as rice, oats or lentils. The boys have enjoyed filling them with different things and mixing, scooping and pouring from them. They are the perfect size for little hands and have been so great to display different materials for our sensory set ups.
The wooden acorns and bowls have been so loved in our household! Being so versatile and open ended, they can be used in all kinds of play experiences and are a really valuable resource to have.
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Thank you so much Megan. We love these wonderful ideas for play! If you have this set at home, make sure you tag us in your play set ups on Instagram so we can see how you use them too!
[Images supplied by Megan Robson]